East End Thrift Store Haul

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As part of my birthday antics in London, I finally got to visit The East End Thrift Store. Whilst my job as editor of Judy's Affordable Vintage Mag means I'm pretty loyal to their kilo sales, it's always nice to check out the competition and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found at The East End alternative: a £10 and a £20 sized bag, and the challenge to fill as many as you liked with as many goodies that could fit inside (provided the handles met!)

Warning: this is not a thrift shop for the faint hearted. There was stuff literally EVERYWHERE, and a lot of it was pretty damaged, dirty, smelly or all three. Still, if you fancy a good fixer-upper and are the type of person who enjoys looking for items with potential rather that the finished article, you could do a lot worse than visiting. We stayed for well over an hour sifting through huge jackets, endless flannel and plenty of hipsterlicious t shirts until I found a selection of pastel gems perfect for summer-ising my wardrobe. 

And here's my treasure! A blazer, cardigan, jumper, skirt and a pair of shorts for £10, can't really say fairer than that! Everything is a little crumpled because of how hapharzardly it was thrown in the bins but it's nothing a good iron couldn't sort out - the Blazer in particular came up a treat after my mum ironed it out and scrubbed up the cuffs for me. The shorts may well be my favourite vintage find ever - when Kev pulled them out I loved the colours but wasn't initially sure they'd fit me, but I'm so glad I took the risk because they are amazingly comfy, high waisted enough to be on trend but with a long enough leg that I don't feel as I'm Miley Cyrusing if I wear them without tights. I wish they had a co-ord jacket - Clueless worthy 90s chic.

Have you been vintage hunting recently?

Rimmel Haul - Boots

Happy saturday of your bank holiday everyone! I'm back at my family home down south at the moment because I'm on a placement with NME.com - commuting to London every day has really taken it out of me! It's lovely to come home after a tiring day to my family and not have to worry about cooking dinner or doing my washing, and their company isn't half bad either. Still, I do miss my Kevin, and it'll be great to see him again next weekend for my birthday.

Still, I thought I'd spend my saturday catching up on a little retail therapy with my mum. Kev's mum was kind enough to give me a £10 gift voucher for Boots a few months ago and I finally got round to spend it today. I am no beauty blogger by any stretch - my idea of getting dolled up for a night out is putting on a second coat of eyeliner to my normal one that I wear on a usual day, and I've never really progressed much further than that. Still, my obsession with nail varnish cannot be tamed, and with graduation looming, I thought I could do with a special shade and my first foray into lipstick to make me look a little special for the big day.

So here's my mini-haul! I swear by Rimmel varnishes so decided to stick to one brand. This little lot came to 10.17 with Boots 3 for 2 offer, so I only had to use 17p of my own money - result! Both varnishes go on as neatly and dry as quickly as you would expect from Rimmel - the 'Rose Libertine' (£3.49) is a super pretty pastel in just one coat, although looks lovely with two. The glittery one is 'Disco Ball' (£2.99), which I layered over a grey shade to create a subtle 'Queen Elsa from Frozen' shimmer. That said, this would also look lovely on it's own, if you're patient enough to build the glitter up using a few coats. I'm a big sucker for Boots body sprays and was after one of their delicious Vanilla body sprays to make up the extra pound of my voucher, but the cheeky lot have made the bottles a lot bigger and started selling them for £4.50! Shocking. Still, I picked up this 'Citrus and Red Berries' paradise shores spray (£1.69) which is almost as good, girly and summery.

I also bought a lasting lipstick in 'Heather Shimmer.' (£4.99) I had initially gone into the shop planning on buying one of the Rimmel lip crayons, but after struggling to find a shade that wasn't too sickly pink on me, I found this lovely tone which had just enough brown hue to create that much sought after 'your lips but better' natural tone. It glides on well, doesn't cling to imperfections and has the bonus feature of smelling and tasting just like refreshers sweets, which might not be to everyones taste but is certainly mine. I've already had a cup of tea and it's showing no signs of budging which is great.

Ignore the awkwardness of my selfie (my hair was NOT playing ball!), but you can see how subtle the colour is.

What do you think of my Rimmel purchases? Have you bought anything from Boots recently?

Happy Feet

Happy Sunday! After almost 6 months of hard work, I finally finished my case study and practical project and couldn't be more relieved. Now, there is only an essay and two features standing between 3 weeks of work experience at NME, lots of exciting summer projects and mini holidays, lots of reading time and perhaps most excitingly, graduation! (more on that in a bit)

With most of the hard work over, Kev and I decided to treat ourselves this weekend. His mum ever so kindly sent us up a sainsbury's voucher to pick ourselves some shopping so we indulged in the ingredients for homemade cocktails and ended up with a delicious concoction of cherry brandy, amaretto and cranberry that tasted just like Cherry Bakewell cakes. I thoroughly recommend! 

On Saturday morning, we got up bright and early for a bit of retail therapy. The sun was shining and we had a lovely long peruse around Huddersfield Market before stopping off for a massive chippy lunch. It always baffles me when so many of my coursemates say they've never visited the market - it really is a treasure trove of all sorts of stuff, from crazy cheap furniture and vinyl records to amazing vintage buys, often sold by lovely Nana's who are up for a chat.  

However, the single best thing about Huddersfield Market has to be what is colloquially known as 'The Topshop Stall'. Basically, it's an amazing stall that sells all manner of out of season items from Topshop, Miss Selfridge and occasionally, H&M. I'm not sure how they do it and it can be hit and miss as to the variety of sizes on offer or the conditions of the garments, but I'm pleased to say that this saturday, they made my shoe dreams come true...

 You guys will have seen me harping on about these on the blog multiple times, but finally they are mine, allllll mine! (evil laugh). They were sat all innocently jumbled along all the massive heels and clutch bags and nobody seemed to be looking at them, but when I saw that flash of white I leapt on them and was ecstatic to find that they were first in a size 6, and second, only £12, a massive £26 less than they were in Topshop last summer. Good things come to those who wait eh? My day with topped off even further when I picked up a beautiful Topshop beaded dress for just four pounds because some of the beading was a little off. It's exactly what I wanted for graduation and as it was selling originally in Topshop for £70, I'm feeling pretty thrifty. Sadly, putting pictures on here of it so many months in advance feels a little like posting your wedding dress before you wear it, so you will all have to wait till July to see that one.

Here are my shoes with a couple of wired hair bows I also picked up from Primark for £1.50 each - I've been planning on buying some for ages. they're a lovely way of girlying up a simple jumper and jeans combo and I love the way the wire holds the bow in place. I'm very happy with how my spring wardrobe is shaping up, and on such a great budget too. You can also see a little polka dot number that I picked up last week from eBay for just 99p - the floaty chiffon will be perfect for pub garden trips or the university awards night I will be attending in the week.

What have you been treating yourself to recently?

Blue skies are coming...

There is a lot of faffing around in the media at the moment about the gender stereotyping that comes from putting baby boys in blue and girls in pink, but there is no denying that I am through and through a  pink girl. I love all shades, from bubblegum to magenta, and if there is a way of working it into an outfit, I will. Pink nails with a Green Dress? As Drake once said, yolo.

Despite my love affair with the 'girls' colour, I have found myself gravitating to blue a lot more now spring is approaching - I'm practically living in my denim dungadress or chambray polka dot blouse, and my (admittedly hideous) baby blue backpack comes to Uni with me everyday. Maybe it's the connotations it has with cool swimming pools and clear skies, but I feel it really lifts my wardrobe and duck egg shades particularly appeal to my love of shabby chic. Whilst I am definitely lacking in blue dresses, here are a few things I've picked up recently to add my new favourite colour into my wardrobe.

Rimmel Nail Varnish in 'Too Cool To Tango'

Whenever I fancy a new nail colour, its always Rimmel that I turn to. This blue is super highly pigmented and as always with the 60 seconds range, only needs one coat. I'm not sure whether I just picked a bad one or not, but the consistency was a little gloopier and streaky than I normally expected from Rimmel, but still, it's a cheap and cheerful way to modernise a look - it really does look as if you've coloured your nails in with a highlighter, it's that bright!. 

H&M Breton via eBay

Although my breton hunt initially began wanting a basic black and white striped number, that perfect baggy style with a pocket all seem to be super expensive, even on eBay. I blame Alexa Chung - she always looks so effortless in hers that I don't think they'll ever be going out of fashion. Still, I managed to bag this one from an eBay seller for just £2.99, and I actually really love it's distressed colour. I'm looking forward to pairing it with a simple black skater skirt and sandals, under my dungas or with leggings and vans on a lazy day.


A pretty short shop this time, but with only three weeks left to go before I hand in my third year projects and a few christmas vouchers still to spend, I've promised myself a little shopping trip to Leeds very soon. Stay tuned for that!

What colours have you been loving recently?

New Look Lust List

Happy sunday everyone! I've had ever such a busy weekend - yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited down to The Guardian offices for a masterclass day on how to break into the fashion industries (more on that in a new post soon!) so today I've mainly been catching up with Homemaker work and doing some online window shopping. My eye has been particularly focused on New Look - my brother bought me a £20 giftcard for christmas that I've not spent yet, so I think a trip to town is in order. 

Whilst perusing their site, I came up with this little selection of beauties under £20 (or a cheeky bit over, but a couple of pounds to make up the difference never hurt) and it seems my love of pastel isn't going away any time soon. I love making this moodboard but it didn't half make me pine for summer! I particularly love the crochet top, brown sandals and the longline floral blouse, perfect for adventures. 

What do you think I should buy? I've also got a £10 Boots voucher to spend, so if anyone has some beauty advice, let me know...

NME Office Attire: a week in outfits

Happy Sunday Everyone! I'm very excited to share this post with you all because it comes a day before I'm due to start a week's work experience in London at NME Magazine. Having been an NME reader since I was 14, this magazine was my gateway into all the music I love now and a big influencing factor on my decision to study Music Journalism, so needless to say I'm pretty excited (and a little nervous!)

Not really knowing what to expect, I've tried my best to be prepared; making sure my dictaphone has batteries, lots of working pens, notepad and lots of ideas for content etc etc. I've also gained some control over the situation the only way a fashion blogger knows how: my pre-planning my office outfits. Even though NME appears to have a pretty casual dress code, I figured there's no harm in making a good smart first impression, and I know an outfit I'm comfortable in will put me in the right mindset for the long days of work and commuting. So, assuming it doesn't snow (fingers crossed!) and ruin my plans, here are my outfits for the week, featuring as per, lots and lots of Primark!

MONDAY 
Polka Dot Denim Blouse - £5, Primark

Black Skater Skirt - £3.99, Topshop via eBay

Burgundy Loafers - £13.50, New Look For ASOS

TUESDAY
Green Aztec Print Skater Dress - £8, Primark
Burgundy Cardian with Military Buttons - £5, Primark
T Bar Patent Shoes - Office (gift!)

WEDNESDAY
Cream Floral Dress and Matching Bow - custom vintage, £5
Mustard Jumper - Primark via eBay

THURSDAY
Fluffy Beige Jumper - Hand Me Down
White Blouse - 99p, eBay
Check Pleated Skirt - 99p, Bon Marche via eBay
Red Mary Janes - £30, Topshop

FRIDAY
70s Print Blouse, £5, Primark
Black Corduroy Dress - £5, Primark
Black Glitter Socks - £1, Primark
Red Mary Janes - as above

What do you think of my outfits? Wish me luck! 

October/November Haul

For the past couple of months I have been somewhat chained to my computer desk doing work, so I'm afraid this two month haul is mostly random little online buys. Hope you might enjoy a little insight into my purchases anyway.

Topshop Skater Skirt (via eBay)

My first purchase of October, this came about as I realised how much I had been neglecting all of my old favourite band t shirts, simply because I never wear trousers anymore and didn't have any plain skirts that would look nice with them. A good simple skater skirt has been missing from my wardrobe for months, and now I can't really see how I lived without one - the fit is so much more flattering than straight skirts on my body shape. It's was only a couple of quid and is a great 'throw-on' piece for work, adding a touch of smartness to my otherwise pretty simple cafe uniform.

Vintage Cream Blouse via eBay

Again pretty plain and boring, but a definite necessity in Autumn when layers are less of a fashion statement and more of a health precaution. This blouse was just 99p and fits perfectly on it's own or under dresses for a more retro look, which has allowed me to revive some of my old favourite pinafore style frocks.

Wax Coat - Tesco

For those who don't know, Huddersfield is the rainiest place ever. I ventured out to uni one day in October and got caught in a rainstorm, resulting in a drenched backpack and most unfortunately, a passport in the front pocket that had soaked up so much water than my picture in it was totally ruined. An incredibly irritating waste of £70, but a proper wake up call that I could do with dressing more appropriately for the weather. Luckily Tesco turned up the goods with this lovely Barbour-style wax coat, complete with hood (a surprisingly rare attribute in fashionable winter coats) and for only £35. There was only one left in my size in this colour, so I like to think that it was my reward for having such a rubbish rainy day. Stupid passport.

Care Box from Ma and Pa!

Having not had a chance to visit home properly since July, I REALLY miss my Mum and Dad. Third year of Uni is really full on and sometimes I miss the days where I had somebody else to be the adult for me. I guess they must have realised that I was feeling a bit down because just after Halloween, I received this lovely little care package which included sweets, my favourite Revlon nail varnish, new squishy socks, craft paper and my hideous Year 7 school photo (I guess that one was to amuse Kev). Mum also put in this lovely necklace/collar which I can't wait to wear over a plain dress. They know me so well and it really perked my day and reminded me that I CAN do whatever I set my mind to. I can't wait to see them over Christmas.

Boots Gift Card from the in-laws

 Speaking of Mum's, my boyfriend Kev went home to visit him Mum recently and she was lovely enough to give him a £10 Boots gift card to give to me. How sweet and kind is that? I'm not sure exactly what to spend it on yet but I'm thinking smellies - I love Boots's natural collection body sprays and moisturiser but my Passion Fruit spray has just run out. Maybe I'll try Vanilla next...

Freebie promo Cd's

With our uni set to move their SU building over to a new multi-million pound development, we've been made to clear up the Student Magazine's offices ready for the move. In the process, we unearthed a stack of cd's that had been sent to various Music Editors over the years that had been left behind, encountering more than a few blasts from the past. Whatever happened to Klaxons?

Primark Navy Polka Dot Kagoule - Inherited from lost property!

There are many perks to working at a Cafe (yummy cake, hot drinks to perk you up on a morning shift, overhearing customers gossip) but the best thing is that often, people will leave their possessions behind. Yes, I know this sounds awful, but we do have a lost property policy and we do keep things in case people come back for them, but sometimes though, things are left for so long that they just need a new home. Such was the case with this Primark Kagoule, which must have been left with us for well over a month. Everyone knows I'm a sucker for a good polka dot and it's so useful how it all fits back into it's own pocket. Still, if you are the Kagoule-less student and would like it back (sob), please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Business Cards from Moo.com

With graduation getting ever closer, our uni have set us a module this year called 'Professional Development Portfolio', where we are required to put together a Media CV, Cover Letter, examples of our best work and a business card. I had so much fun designing mine that I thought I'd share it here. Using my favourite printing service (Moo.com) and some voucher codes online, I managed to get 50 cards for just over £13, which isn't bad at all considering the high quality of the paper and how carefully they have been cut.

Magazines

Other university work has sent me on a bit of a magazine spree. I LOVE magazines but I normally deprive myself as they seem like a bit of a luxury. Still, since I enrolled on 'Writing For Magazines' this year I can justify it a little more and splashed out on Company, NME and The Times Higher Education Magazine to give me some inspiration for assignments. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in with this weeks NME - My big case study project this year is centred around Women In Music Journalism so I can't wait to investigate how they have approached M.I.A's big comeback.

Bon Marche Tartan Skirt (via eBay)

The tartan trend has been all the rage for a little while now, and as a child of the 90's I've been itching to try it. It's mad how people will pay so much for stuff on the high street when you can get in on the eBay for 99p. Now, Bon Marche wouldn't be my first choice (although my Nana used to love it), but the colours on this skirt are so perfect for autumn and the material is far better quality that I was expecting.

Primark Mustard Jumper (via eBay)

I've never been quite sure about wearing yellow as I was scared it might hollow out my skin tone, but after experimenting my £4 bargain Topshop mustard maxi, I thought I'd take the plunge into some bold knitwear. Mustard is such a great shade for this time of year anyway as it matches the leaves, and I managed to snag this off eBay for just over 3 quid. I normally find cropped jumpers pretty annoying as they tend to just make me look as if I'm wearing something that doesn't fit properly and often leaves slopping hems hanging out underneath, but as I'm planning to wear this over collared dresses hopefully it will work a bit better.

My first mini bargain haul - the pastel edition!

Hello team! Hope you're all well. I've had a bit of a stressy couple of weeks what with a broken laptop and various other bits and pieces not going to plan, but, determined not to let it get me down, I thought I'd cheer myself up with a bit of retail therapy, pastel style! In typical Jenessa style, the whole lot happened over a period of about 10 days and only added up to just over a tenner but I still feel a teeny bit guilty. Still, on to the bargains!

Sally Hansen and Revlon Nail Varnishes

These were £1 pound each from poundworld. I normally favour rimmel or collection 2000 nail varnishes as a rule, but after hearing that you could get branded varnishes in poundland of all places, I thought I'd give some others a go. It always disgusts me how expensive nail varnish is! The colours were a bit hit and miss instore, lots of crackle varnishes and ugly reds, but after scouring a few branches of poundland and poundworld I settled on these two. The Sally Hansen 'sea' coloured mint was a bit runny but after three coats that were easy to apply thanks to the super wide brush, they came out a really sophisticated shade that was summery but not too in your face. Sadly I think I might have applied it a little too thick as it started to peel round the edges two days later, but I shall have another go. The 'electric' yellow from Revlon was a lot better - two coats and you could see it glowing from the other side of the room! the high pigment is great, especially for a yellow shade - I don't want my nail to just look like they've gone mouldy! I'm very happy with it and looking forward to wearing it with...

Juju Hello Jellies for TopShop

I'm normally pretty good at resisting the Topshop summer sale, but these were crying out to me at the lowly price of £5! With the british summer all over the place(heatwave one second, thunder the next), i figured a waterproof sandal was the way to go. Costing me only £6.50 after opting for the instore click and collect option and using student discount, they are a great happy medium between a cheap sandal and the more expensive traditional juju gladiators which I love but would almost certainly never wear. Plus look at the colours, they're so happy! the jury is still out on how comfy they are but I am very impressed at the speed of TopShop's instore delivery - i ordered these friday afternoon and picked them up at my local topshop branch at 3pm the very next day. I just wish I was going on holiday now...

Papaya Mint Short Sleeved Sweater 

 This was a little ebay bargain at only £3, including postage. Clearly tired of how long it takes me to choose outfits in the morning, my boyfriend pointed out recently that it'd probably do me good to get some more plain things to work my love of patterns around. Wise boy eh? I actually tried one of these super-soft knits on in Matalan about 6 months ago and loved it, but never actually got round to buying it, so I'm very glad it popped up online! With it's gentle hue it's a very versatile piece, although it's going to need a run through the wash as it still smells a bit smokey from its previous owner. Still, that's what you get with ebay isn't it? I'm looking forward to pairing it with jeans, a white undershirt and ankle boots come uni in autumn. Back on the hunt for the lavender version.

And last but not least...

Vintage Pink St Michaels Skirt 

For anyone that hasn't been to Huddersfield, it's worth it if only for the sunday market. I've recently discovered a new favourite stall that sells amazing granny chic at ridiculous prices - my friend charlotte got an incredible satchel for a pound that upon reflection, i probably should have nabbed first! Still, on our last visit i saw this skirt peeking out and thought it was perfectly twee - even better when I spotted the label of my favourite vintage brand, St Michaels,closely followed by a label that said £2. The elastic band means it fits perfectly worn at both waist and hips and has a great demure length that should see it last me all the way through summer and autumn.

Not a bad haul for £11.50! Have you bought any bargains recently?

Market Bargain: Jack Wills Dress

When I started this blog, I thought it would be a fun place to share all my bargain finds, crafty tutorials and things that I buy. However, I really struggle with spending money without feeling guilty and sometimes I forget to put little purchases up here because it reminds me how I'm meant to be saving! I am definitely a thrifty blogger and a girly girl when it comes to clothes, and I have very little other indulgences in my student budget, so maybe I should just stop beating myself up and accept that I deserve a little treat every now and then.

My latest dress bargain actually happened a few months ago but I forgot to put it up here - that still counts as new right? Basically, I have a wonderful magpie of a boyfriend who has been trained into recognising a 'Jenessa' dress when he sees one, and also happens to be pretty darn thoughtful. I was sleeping away at our student house when he came home from work and woke me up with a surprise that he had bought me from Huddersfield market, which turned out to be this -

Straight away it was right up my street- floaty with a lace ruffle lining, a delicate floral pattern and a good, thick fabric. However, when I noticed that the label stated Jack Wills I turned a little bit pale and had to ask Kev how much he paid for it. With a beaming smile that knows my bargain loving way a little too well, he announced "£7!"

SEVEN POUNDS! A quick hunt of ebay found this dress, which turned out to be a Jack Wills 'mornier' print to be selling for just over £50, way nearer to its actual original retail price. Although I have always admired Jack Wills womenswear I have only ever been able to afford a polo shirt from them, so having one of their dresses is just delightful. I feel very british!

So, the moral of the story... don't underestimate your local market! And secondly, don't be afraid to take your boyfriend shopping.

Matalan's Dress Event

Afternoon bloggers! Just thought I'd give you all a heads up about a cheeky little sale that is going on at Matalan at the moment - The £5 event! Who doesn't love a bargain, even more when it's dress shaped? Matalan seems to get a bad rep from what I've seen, perceived as a slightly older-fashioned brand, but I've found them recently to be on top form, selling classic, well made pieces at very reasonable prices.

I had an amazing day yesterday in Leeds with a very exciting business meeting (that I hope I can tell you all about very soon!) so decided to treat myself on the way home. I've been wanting one of the renowned Topshop Speckle Dresses for ages, you know the one - 

Very nice, and perfect for dressed down days, but a bit plain for me to spend £26.00 on, even now it's been discounted to £20 in the sale. T-Shirt dresses are a really versatile piece to have in your wardrobe - they're breezy, can be dressed up or down, and don't clash with ANYTHING. Luckily, Matalan's £5 event included their own version of the dress, as seen here - 

As you can see, the different in minimal - a slightly lighter colour, and a longer hem. The Matalan fabric actually has a much softer finish and the longer hem just hits my knee, rather than Topshop's bum-skimming version.

So all in all, a bargaineous result! I'm in the midst of an ebay clearout at the moment as I attempt to save some money over summer, so won't be spending much on clothes, but who can resist a little grey dress?

Here are some of the other dresses in Matalans £5 event, on until Sunday. Get shopping!